Inuvik, Northwest Territories - Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Today, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation Chair and Chief Executive Officer Duane Ningaqsiq Smith; the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs and Minister responsible for PrairiesCan and CanNor; the Honourable Caroline Cochrane, Premier of the Northwest Territories; and the Honourable Ranj Pillai, Premier of Yukon, signed the Western Arctic - Tariuq (Offshore) Accord on behalf of their respective governments.
This agreement, the first of its kind with an Indigenous government as a full party, assures shared decision making concerning oil and gas rights in Canada's Western Arctic - Tariuq (Offshore). The Accord ensures that Inuvialuit, along with residents of Yukon and the Northwest Territories, are the primary beneficiaries of economic activity from any oil and gas development in their regions.
Once implemented in legislation, the Western Arctic - Tariuq (Offshore) Accord will establish an oil and gas co-management and revenue-sharing arrangement with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Government of the Northwest Territories, and the Government of Yukon, for the Accord area. Recognizing the climate leadership of Indigenous and territorial governments in the North and their commitments to develop cleaner, renewable energy, this historic agreement provides a blueprint for responsible clean energy cooperation in the future.
The Western Arctic - Tariuq (Offshore) Accord advances Canada's implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by supporting the meaningful participation by Indigenous peoples in decision-making over lands, territories, resources, and inclusive economic development.
The Government of Canada will collaborate with the parties to implement the Western Arctic - Tariuq (Offshore) Accord in federal legislation at the earliest opportunity.
